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Legend of the Five Rings Ronin Generation

Reprinted w/out permission from the main source book, L5R RPG

Ronin ("wave men") are samurai who, for one reason or another, have no family and no Clan, and so they have no family name. Ronin are considered to be just above non-warrior samurai in the Celestial Order. The most common reason for a samurai to become ronin involves losing a Lord. Either in a battle or by an assassin's blade, men and women who have lost their lord are in disgrace because they were unable to give up their lives for his. They wander the countryside looking for the one who stole their honor. Ronin have the advantage that they have no lord or honor to answer to, but will find great difficulty in finding a teacher. Few wish to stain their family honor by teaching their family's art to a fallen man.

As far as these basic rules are concerned, there are two types of ronin characters. The first is called a "Clan Ronin." This is a character who once belonged to one of the Great Clans, but has lost favor with his Lord. The second kind of ronin is called a "True Ronin." True Ronin have never had a Clan.

Process for Generating a Ronin Character

First, you must decide if you want to be a Clan ronin, or a "True" ronin.